Nail distributor



1934- G. GODDU ET AL NAIL DISTRIBUTOR Filed Feb. 1930 INVENTEIRE Patented Feb. 20, 1934 PATENT ()FFICE NAIL DISTRIBUTOR George Goddu,

Winchester, and Fred L. Mac- Kenzie, Beverly, Mass, assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, poration of New Jersey Paterson, N. J., a cor- Application February 1, 1930. Serial No. 425,265

21 Claims.

Our invention relates to the apparatus commonly known as distributors and employed for supplying nails or like fastenings, separated from a series or plural series one by one or in loads of a predetermined number, to machines by which they are to be driven. Especially, the invention concerns the nail-conveying and delivering portion of the apparatus.

Objects of our invention are to increase the certainty of travel of the nails through the apparatus, to enable nail-conducting passages and associated devices to be freed readily if clogged, and to give convenient control of the delivery of nails from particular raceways. For the accomplishment of these objects, we provide a novel arrangement of primary and secondary raceways which renders more positive the reversal of the separated nails, furnish means which facilitates the clearing of clogged nails and the inspection of the nail-delivering passage and reversing device associated with a raceway, and effect in a novel manner control as to delivery or non-delivery of nails discharged from one or more raceways. Claims for a particular embodiment of the last-mentioned phase of the invention are included in application Serial No. 428,529, filed in the United States Patent Ofiice on February 14, 1930, the inventor being Fred L. MacKenzie.

A particular embodiment of the invention appears in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the delivery-extremity of a double raceway-structure forming a portion of a nail-distributor and including our invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation with away;

Fig. 3 is a broken end elevation of a raceway and the more closely associated parts; and

Fig. 4 shows one of theraceway end-blocks in side elevation.

A nail-distributor of the general character involved in the present invention is disclosed in the application filed in the United States Patent Office on July 24., 1928, in the named of Fred L. MacKenzie and bearing the Serial No. 295,086, this application having become on April 26, 1932, Patent No. 1,855,495. This machine, which is associated with an apparatus for attaching heels to shoes, includes such well-known features as a plurality of nail-receptacles for supplying nails of different lengths, raceways by which the nails are delivered from the receptacles, reciprocatory plates for separating nails one by one at the ends of the raceways, and means for reversing nails to permit them to be driven point-up into parts broken in the upper raceway,

the work. In the accompanying drawing are indicated the lower extremities of two frames 10, 10, which, at their upper ends, terminate adjacent to rotatable nail-drums or the like, these receptacles not being illustrated. The frames and parts which they carry may be identical, and generally, in the matter which follows, but one will be described. Upon each frame 10 are situated, side by side, pairs of inclined bars 12, 12, separated from one another at 14 to furnish raceways, the upper edges 13 of the bars supporting the heads of nails N while the shanks of said nails depend in the slot between the bars. We have illustrated fully but one pair of these raceways, though they may be multiplied as desired to deliver simultaneously any number of nails. A removable cover-plate 16, having a lower hinged section 18, lies above the raceways at each side. A separator-plate 20 is guided upon each raceway-frame for transverse movement by automatic actuating mechanism, as is well known in the art, and has an inclined slot 22, which may be moved into and out of registration with the corresponding raceway-slot 14. In this travel, the slot 22 picks off and releases a single nail from the series in the raceway, a1- lowing it tofall from the end thereof.

In the previously mentioned MacKenzie patent, the nail-distributor is disclosed in association with a heel-attaching machine which nails upwardly from the inside of a shoe. Under such conditions, the nails in our distributor must be reversed after leaving the raceway 12, so their points are up. Falling from the primary raceway, the nails are received upon a secondary raceway, made up of side-plates 24, 24 provided with inclined surfaces 26, on which the nail-heads rest with their shanks between the plates in a slot 28.

The inclination of the raceway-surfaces 26 is greater than is that of the surfaces 13 of the primary raceway, so the single separated nail, which would naturally have less momentum than when a series is urged forward by the weight of all, as

is accelerated in its advance, and its shank caused to strike sharply against a reversing abutment 30. This reversing engagement is rendered more eiiective by the increased rate of travel, due not only to the relatively steep inclination of the surfaces 26, but also to the momentum attained by the nail in falling freely from the upper to the lower raceway. It is to be noted, however, that in this shift, control of the nails is not lost, since their shanks enter the slots 28 before their heads leave the surfaces 13. There is consequently no such opportunity for lateral displacement as might cause clogging. The abutment 86 consists of a plate clamped between the plates 24 and provided with an inclined surface 32, with which the ends of the nails contact. This holds the lower portions of the nails back, while the heads slip over the rounded extremities 34 of the surfaces 26. Thus, each nail is inverted and descends into a deliverypassage 36 formed between the raceway-surfaces 26, the side-plates 24 and a movable wall or closure 37 pivoted at its top upon a pin 38 extending between the side-plates. The wall or door normally closes the passage, being releasably held by a spring 40 secured at its upper extremity to one of the plates 24 and having a depression arranged to receive a projection .2 at one side of the door. If the operator wishes to inspect the delivery-portion of the raceway, especially at the reversing device where clogging is most likely to occur, he may do this by swinging up the door upon its pivot.

To. give most convenient access to the entire delivery-portion of each raceway, and to enable the operator to shake and invert the parts for clearing, the lower raceway and reversing device are organized to furnish an end-block separable from the upper raceway l2 and separator-plate 20. For this purpose, the plates 24 correspond in their lateral dimension to the bars 12, and have, at their outer sides, ribs .4 entering grooves 4.6 in the distributor-frame 10. The end-block is thus correctly alined with the upper raceway, and it is normally held in co-operation with said raceway by a spring 48 secured at one extremity to the frame, and at the other end provided with a curved retaining portion 50, which may engage the pivot-pin 38 of the door 37. It will be seen that the separation of this end-block from the frame may be easily and quickly accomplished, and that, when removed, not only is every part of the secondary raceway and reversing device rendered readily accessible to the operator, but the end of the primary raceway and the separatorplate are also fully exposed.

From the passage 36 of each raceway, the nails pass, heads down, into tubes 52 leading to the apparatus to be supplied, or to loading mechanism thereof. The tubes of the pairs of opposite raceways are shown as meeting in a common tube 53. When an end-block is removed, it would usually be desirable to detach its tube. This we provide for effectively by having, extending from the lower extremity of the passage 36,0. nipple 54, over which slips the end of the tube. A collar 56 surrounds this portion of the tube, forming a shoulder 58 at the lower side and having above a conical surface 50. The door-retaining spring 40 is extended and has an angular end 62 so situated as to snap over the shoulder 58 and normally hold the collar and tube against downward displacement. By drawing back the spring, the collar may be freed and. allowed to fall from the nipple, preparing for the removal of the endblock. At the same time, the depression in the spring leaves the projection 40 so the door 3'! may be swung open.

Because the opposite raceways are customarily utilized for the delivery of nails differing in character, as of diverse lengths, the establishment of delivery from a raceway at one side calls for the cutting off of delivery at the opposite side. By our invention, this is effected simultaneously by a single act of the operator. Carried at the top of each end-block is a guide-arm as ex tending above the separator-plate 20. Mounted to move longitudinally of this am, toward and from the upper raceway 12, is a slide 66 having secured to it and projecting toward said raceway a spring-finger 88 contacting with and guided by the upper surface of the arm at '10. When the slide is situated upon the arm against or in proximity to a stop 71, the finger is withdrawn from the upper raceway, and the delivery of nails therefrom to the lower raceway is undisturbed; see the elements at the left of Fig. 2. The upper. surface of the arm 70 holds the downwardly bent end of the finger normally substantially above the plane of the raceway-surface 13; but as the slide is pushed in, the finger advances over the end of the arm and springs down into the plane of the'nail-heads, or just above the surface 13. Here it contacts with the terminal nail held by the separator-plate, and forces the entire series rearwardly, freeing the separator from the nail to be next delivered, and retaining the entire series against advance. This condition appears at the right of Fig. 2. To produce these opposite movements at the same time, each slide 65 is provided at its upper side with a slot '12 to receive a projection 74 from a lever '76 fulcrumed at '78 above the corresponding end-block. The upper arms of the levers '76 are joined by a bar 80, upon which is a handle 82. When the levers are at one extremity of their movement, as is shown in Fig. 2, the delivery from one raceway 12 of a pair is permitted by the withdrawal of the spring 68 and prevented at the opposite raceway by the elevation of the companion spring, as has just been explained. Throwing the levers to their opposite positions by the handle 82 reverses the action. To avoid interference with the withdrawal of an end-block by the conslide 66 which it carries to the actuating lever '76, the fulcrum '78 of each lever is upon a bracket or support 84 pivoted at 86 upon the frame 10. Movement of the bracket about its pivot 86 may cause the lever-pin '74 to either lie within the slot 72 for actuation of the nail-controlling finger 68, or to leave said slot to free the end-block for removal. In either of these two positions, the bracket may be secured by aslot-and-screw connection 88.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a nail-distributor, a raceway provided with a nail-passage, a block mounted upon and separable from the end of the raceway, said block containing a passage communicating directly with the raceway-passage, and a nail-reversing device carried by the block and separable from the raceway therewith.

2. In a nail-distributor, a raceway, a block secured to but separable from the end of the raceway and containing a passage for nails delivered falling from said primary raceway within the f,

end-block and striking the secondary raceway under the influence of gravity, and a reversing device carried by the block and acting upon the nails on the secondary raceway.

4b. The combination with an inclined primary raceway arranged to support nails by their heads, of a block separable from the end of the primary raceway and having a secondary raceway receiving the nails falling from said primary raceway and supporting them by their heads, the second ary raceway being more steeply inclined than the primary raceway and separated therefrom by a space through which the nails fall by gravity in the end-block, and a reversing device carried by the block and with which contact the shanks of the nails traveling upon the secondary raceway.

5. The combination with an inclined primary raceway arranged to support nails by their heads, of a block separable from the end of the primary raceway and having a secondary raceway receiving the nails falling from said primary raceway and supporting them by their heads, the secondary raceway being more steeply inclined than the primary raceway, and the block at the front of the secondary raceway being provided with a pivoted wall.

6. In a nail-distributor, a raceway, a movable closure at the end of the raceway, a tube receiving nails from the raceway and being separable therefrom, and a member arranged for engagement with both the closure and the tube to retain them in place.

7. In a nail-distributor, a raceway, a movable closure at the end of the raceway, a tube receiving nails from the raceway and being separable therefrom, and a spring arranged for engagement with both the closure and tube and being movable to simultaneously release them.

8. In a nail-distributor, a primary raceway, a block separable from the end of the primary raceway and having a secondary raceway to which the primary raceway delivers, the block being provided with a movable wall at the front of the secondary raceway, a tube depending from the block and to which the secondary raceway delivers, and a spring mounted upon the block for retaining engagement with both the wall and tube.

9. In a nail-distributor, a plurality of raceways along which nails advance, means associated with the raceways for controlling the delivery of nails therefrom, members mounted to move into and out of nail-retaining co-operation with plural raceways and rearwardly from the controlling means, and means for simultaneously moving the retaining members of different raceways in opposite directions.

10. In a nail-distributor, opposite raceways, a member co-operating with each raceway and being movable into and out of nail-retaining position, a nail-separating plate movable in co-operation with each raceway below the retaining member, and means for simultaneouslyshifting the retaining members in opposite directions.

11. In a nail-distributor, a plurality of raceways, nail-retaining members co-operating with the raceways, a lever fulcrumed adjacent to each raceway and connected to the corresponding retaining member, and connections between the levers constructed and arranged to move them simultaneously.

12. In a nail-distributor, a raceway, a slide movable longitudinally thereof, and a finger projecting from the slide and arranged for movement by the slide over the upper surface of the raceway and in engagement with nails therein.

13. In a nail-distributor, a raceway, a slide movable longitudinally thereof, and a springfinger projecting from the slide and arranged for movement thereby over the upper surface of the raceway and being urged by its own resilience toward said surface.

14. In a fastening-supplying apparatus, an inclined raceway, a movable separator co-operating with the raceway and having a fasteningreceiving slot, and a fastening-retaining member movable into contact with a fastening in the separator-slot and then with said fastening upwardly along the raceway.

15. In a nail-distributor, a raceway, a slide movable toward and from the delivery-end of the raceway, and a finger carried by the slide for engagement with nails in the raceway, there being means for holding the finger above the nails in the raceway when the slide is withdrawn, said means allowing the finger to move into the plane of the nails as the slide advances.

16. In a nail-distributor, a raceway, a slide movable toward and from the delivery-end of the raceway, and a spring carried by the slide for engagement with nails in the raceway, there being means for holding the spring above the nails in the raceway when the slide is withdrawn, said means releasing the spring as the slide travels inwardly from the end of the raceway.

17. In a nail-distributor, opposite raceways, a slide movable adjacent to each raceway, a springfinger mounted upon each slide for engagement with the nails in the corresponding raceway, an actuating lever connected to each slide, and a member joining opposite levers and arranged to move them together.

18. In a nail-distributor, a raceway, a block extending across the end of the raceway, a mounting from which said block is separable to give access to the end of the raceway, a nail-retaining member movable upon the end-block into and out of co-operation with the raceway, an actuating lever for the retaining member, and a movable support upon which the lever is fulcrumed.

19. In a nail-distributor, a raceway, a separable end-block associated with the raceway, a nailretaining member movable upon the end-block into and out of co-operation with the raceway, an actuating lever connected to the retaining member, a movable support upon which the lever is fulcrumed, and means arranged to fix the support in opposite positions in which the connection between the lever and retaining member is either effective or ineffective.

20. In anail-distributor, a frame, a raceway mounted thereon, a separable end-block associated with the raceway, a slide movable upon the end-block, a nail-retaining finger carried by the slide for co-operation with the nails in the raceway, a bracket pivoted upon the frame, and a lever fulcrumed upon the bracket and arranged to actuate the slide.

21. In a nail-distributor, a frame, a raceway mounted thereon, a separable end-block associated with the raceway, a slide movable upon the end-block and having a slot, a nail-retaining finger carried by the slide for co-operation with the nails in the raceway, a bracket pivoted upon the frame, means arranged to clamp the bracket in different positions, and a lever fulcrumed upon the bracket and provided with a projection normally lying in the slideslot but capable of withdrawal from said slot to free the end-block for separation from the raceway.

GEORGE GODDU. FRED L. MACKENZIE. 

